Blackcurrant jelly with custard

15 minutes + setting

serves 4

Easy

Blackcurrants have a relatively short season from early July to mid-to late August. Using them for jelly means you can give them a basic prep without worrying about the fiddly stalks as you’ll only be using the juice. Serve this sophisticated pud with a layer of custard on top.

Ingredients

blackcurrants 400g

caster sugar 50-150g

gelatine leaves 4

fresh custard to serve

Method

Step 1

Take the blackcurrants off their stalks by running each stalk through the tines of a fork – don’t worry about the little stalks as you’ll be sieving them out. Put the blackcurrants in a pan with a good splash of water and bring to a simmer. You don’t want to actually cook them, just heat them enough to release their juices. Press down with the back of a spoon to help them burst and extract all the juice.

Step 2

Sieve the juice into a jug and pour it back into the pan, heat gently and add the sugar in 50g amounts until the juice is sweet enough. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for five minutes then lift them out and stir them into the warm juice. Divide the juice between 4 small tumblers (don’t worry if you don’t fill them up) and chill until set. to serve, pour a thick layer of custard onto each jelly.